Unbreakable Bonds
by Queen Caira
Summary: Things aren't always as they seem; mistakes can be made. The passing of time can sometimes erode the memories of love but not the bonds of it. It just takes a little prodding for love to bloom once again. AU yaoi
1. Introduction

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha._

**Unbreakable Bonds  
**

**Introduction**

It is almost sundown. A small mouse demon ventures out of its hole to get a drink of water before predators awaken. He sits up abruptly, his ears twitching as he listens for danger. Suddenly, he shoots off into the bushes. From the opposite direction there are heard two voices, both female. When the brush is parted it reveals a young-looking priestess with old looking eyes. She is dressed in long red pants and a flowing white shirt. She carries with her a longbow and quiver of arrows. She has long black hair and eyes; her carriage is of one with nobility, around her fly the Shinidamachu. Her companion, though also female, on closer inspection is shown to definitely have demonic blood in her veins. Her hair is a light shade of aqua blue adorned with a pink water lily, while her eyes are an indigo color with a black pupil in the middle. At first glance they appear snake-like, but in an instant they appeared normal again. This demoness is wearing long silver-blue clingy pants made of a fabric that closely resembles leather. All she wears on top is what looks like a bikini top. It is light pink in color and made of the same fabric as her pants. She wears a necklace made of coral around her neck. Its centerpiece is a scallop shell. The demoness, whose name is Aureate, is endeavoring to convince her companion to make camp near the river.

"It's a perfect spot to make camp in. See? There's a tree for you to sleep in and…"

"_And_ there's a river for you to frolic in."

"Hee hee, exactly, so you see, it really is the perfect spot, lady Kikyo."

"Fine, Aureate, if you really want to stop here for the night then we'll stop here. But please just call me Kikyo."

"Ok, lady Kikyo." Kikyo glared at the demoness who was grinning at her.

"You're just trying to annoy me."

"I know." Kikyo shook her head and smiled, as she set her bow and quiver down underneath the big tree.

She watched as her friend dropped her pack and leapt into the water, barely making a ripple when she touched it. She thought back to when they had first met.

"_Huh," Kikyo sighed, as she leaned back in the tree. She looked up as her Shinidamachu flew toward her carrying souls. She relaxed more and more as the souls revived her. 'That battle took more energy than I thought it would,' she thought. As she was revived, she became aware that she was being watched. The one watching her possessed a demonic aura of medium-strength. Though it was a demon, she sensed that it wasn't malevolent. _

_"You shouldn't spy on people. They might turn out to be more powerful than you." _

_"I only spy on you because I know who you are." The response caught Kikyo off-guard, though she didn't let it show. "If you know, then who am I?" _

_"You are lady Kikyo, or should I say priestess Kikyo? You are one of the living dead brought back by the demoness Urasue. During your life, you were the most powerful priestess in history, and was charged with keeping the Shikon Jewel safe. Even now, when you should be nothing but a shell, you find a way to live, to once again become one of the most powerful spiritual beings around." _

_The demoness, for Kikyo could tell from her voice that she was female, paused as if in thought, then continued. "Well, am I right?" _

_"You are, to an extent. My name is Kikyo and I was a priestess in my time alive. I was the guardian of the Shikon Jewel, but I certainly wasn't the most powerful. The witch Urasue did indeed bring me back as one of her living dead. What I am doing now, I would hardly call living in any form." She gestured to the Shinidamachu floating around her. __"There are many spiritual beings in this land a great deal more powerful than me." _

_"You speak of the priestess garbed in strange clothing? I have not met her, but I have heard of her deeds along with your own. I believe you to be the more wise and powerful." Kikyo sat up, intrigued by this demoness who was not afraid to speak to a priestess she herself deemed so powerful. _

_"Why not show yourself, so that I may see you? After all, you seem to know much about me, while I know nothing about you. I don't even know what you look like." After a pause she heard a shift of the water and then there stood Aureate exactly as she was today. _

They had been traveling together ever since. 'I don't usually travel with others, but she's different. She's good for me. She makes me feel, makes me live.' She was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts by water dripping onto her face. She glared up at the hand waving in her face.

"What, you were just staring off into space. I had to make sure you were ok," pouted Aureate.

Kikyo laughed at the expression on her face. Aureate joined in.

When they had both stopped to breathe she spoke, "Before I met you, the last time I truly laughed was when I was truly alive."

"Then it's a good thing I'm around then, huh?"

"Yes, it is." The two sat there, just looking at one another for awhile, then, "We should make camp, Aureate."

They both stood up, Kikyo to go get firewood and Aureate to catch some fish for their dinner.

"Kikyo?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think we'll be able to? Defeat Naraku, I mean."

"We have to be. We can't allow him to stay alive."

"You're right. No matter what, we have to kill him."

Three days later, they hear about how Inuyasha refuses to join Sesshoumaru in a fight against a mutual enemy.

"They'll never be able to beat Naraku like that. They need to join together."

"The two of them have never gotten along and I doubt that will change now, Aureate."

"But I don't understand them. They possess two of the most powerful weapons around, and yet instead of joining together to destroy Naraku, they waste time fighting with each other."

"That is the constant fight between full demon and half demon."

"That's stupid. In a fight like this one, I don't think your blood matters."

"That just shows how hard it will be for us to defeat him on our own, when even demon like Sesshoumaru can't."

"There has to be a way to do this. I mean he has so many enemies. Surely he can't defeat them all."

"The problem is all of his enemies are split into many different camps, we included."

"Then maybe instead of fighting him when we know we can't defeat him yet, we should be searching for a some strong allies."

"I think you're right Aureate. We should be making ties and forging bonds. That is how we will beat Naraku, not separately, but together."

"Exactly, Kikyo."

"But to do this quickly, I think it would be in our favor to…"

"Split up? You're absolutely right."

_The Next Morning..._

"Alright, so here's the plan, we split up and find as many strong allies as we can."

"Allies that are willing to work together with others."

"Exactly."

"We'll meet back together Mt. Suna in exactly six months, unless we contact each other beforehand."

"Yes, Kikyo this is our best bet at finally defeating him."

With that the two friends bid farewell to each other and split to try and join together groups of people who had previously fought against each other.

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	2. Remembering

**Chapter One: Remembering**

"Sesshoumaru! What are you doing here?!"

"You worthless half-breed, you actually have the audacity to question my Lord Sesshoumaru?!"

"Silence, Jakken. It is none of your business, Inuyasha, why I am anywhere. I have no need to explain any of my actions to a pathetic mongrel like you."

As soon as Sesshoumaru finished this sentence, he turned around and headed away from the half-demon and the humans. His vassal Jakken and the little girl, Rin followed leading Ah-Un. As Sesshoumaru led the way away, he couldn't help but hear something his half-brother say.

"Why can't the bastard just leave me alone?"

He sighed and turned away.

* * *

That night he walked through his camp noticing where Rin had curled up to sleep next to Ah-Un and where Jakken was staring into the fire. "Keep an eye on Rin."

"Of course, milord."

He continued up onto the hill just outside of his chosen campsite. He chose a seat against a large stone and stared up at the sky. As soon as he saw the full moon, what he'd heard his younger half brother say that afternoon replayed through his mind, _"Why can't that bastard just leave me alone?"_ A pang shot through his chest where his heart was supposed to be.

"What happened, Inuyasha," he whispered as his mind wandered back in time. Back to a time when he and his little brother had never fought.

"_I won't. I won't accept her as mistress here, never. There is only one rightful mistress here, and you've already forgotten her!" This declaration was followed by a shrill yelp of pain as the young dog demon was thrown roughly to the ground by an adult male._

"_And who was the one who killed her!? Before you start preaching about forgetting her, maybe you should remember who caused her death in the first place. If it wasn't for your weakness Sesshoumaru, my mate would still be alive. But since she isn't, I have chosen another and you will show her the expected honor and respect or you will pay, understood?"_

_A young Sesshoumaru stood and bowed in acquiescence, hiding the tears in his eyes as he was reminded that it was he that had killed his mother. His father turned to leave the room, presumably to go and await his new lady's arrival. He paused at the doorway and, "You will treat my son with respect. If you harm him in any way, I will make you regret being born. Am I understood?" Sesshoumaru nodded submissively. His father slammed his door shut as he left. 'I will treat your human whore with respect and I won't touch your half-breed son, but they will never be my family.' Sesshoumaru slid his shirt off to examine his chest where his father had struck him. He was glad there was only minimal bruising, 'he must be in a good mood because of that whore.' He traced his claw down the scar that led from between his nipples down passed his navel to his waist. It was healed, but you could still tell the wound had been deep and wide. He sighed and went to his closet to extract proper clothing for meeting his father's new family, refusing to remember where that scar had come from._

Three Weeks Later…

"_Big brother, big brother wait up!" Sesshoumaru paused on the path to the garden where he had been headed to train. "What is it you want now Inuyasha?"_

"_Where are you going?"_

"_I'm going to train."_

"_Can I come with you?"_

"_No."_

"_But why not? I wanna stay with you."_

"_Fine, come here." Sesshoumaru knelt and picked his younger brother up. Despite his hatred for Inuyasha's human mother, he couldn't help but love his younger brother. From the very beginning Inuyasha had started following him around and eventually Sesshoumaru had realized he didn't really mind. Besides it was a bonus how much it pissed his father off whenever he saw how much Inuyasha adored Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru smirked at the thought. _

"_What's so funny, big brother?"_

"_Nothing, what've you been doing all day?"_

"_Mama was teaching me about history and…"_

_Inuyasha stopped at the growl coming from deep in his big brother's chest. "Big brother?"_

"_Don't talk to me about your worthless whore of a human mother."_

_Inuyasha flinched at the harsh tone his brother used. Seeing his brother's flinch Sesshoumaru calmed himself down. "I apologize for shouting at you Inuyasha."_

"_It's ok big brother, I love you. I could never be mad at you."_

"Those times are gone." Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and let his mind wander to other memories from that time.

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	3. Memories

**Chapter Two: Memories**

"_Prince Sesshoumaru?"_

_A servant asked fearfully of the young dog demon sitting at the desk. Sesshoumaru marked his place in the book he was studying and looked coolly at the kneeling form before him._

"_What is it?" 'This had better be good for him to interrupt my studies. Father's already dissatisfied with my marks as it is.'_

"_Lord Inutaisho requests your presence in his study."_

'_That's code for he's pissed at me again and I'd better get there soon.' "I'll be there presently."_

_The servant hurriedly exited. She was glad to have escaped unscathed. There wasn't a member of the staff that didn't have scars from their mercurial prince. Sesshoumaru looked out the window to his left and sighed. 'I guess I'd better get going.' He set the book down and stood. After making sure his tunic and hair were in order he headed to his father's study._

"_I sent for you quite some time ago."_

"_I apologize for my tardiness father. I was…"_

"_I don't care what you were doing. I've been speaking with your instructors. From what I've heard, I'm glad your mother's dead. At least that way she doesn't have to see what a pathetic excuse of a dog demon her son turned out to be."_

_He ended this tirade with a powerful backhand to Sesshoumaru's face. Sesshoumaru was thrown off balance by the blow and stumbled to his knees. Before he could get up his father kicked him in the chest causing him to fall to the floor. He shut his eyes trying to ignore the blows and kicks that were landing on his body. The pain from these was nothing compared to what his father had said._

'_He's right, I'm pathetic. I can't even defend myself.'_

_The blows and insults suddenly stopped and his father dragged him to his knees by his hair. He could taste the blood from where he had bitten his lip._

"_Open your eyes you worthless pup."_

_He did as he was told and met his father's eyes. They were filled with anger and Sesshoumaru expected another blow to land, but instead his hair was released and he slumped forward on his knees. He looked up and followed his father's gaze. He looked away when he saw his younger brother in the doorway._

"_Daddy? Mommy says that dinner's ready."_

"_Alright son, let's go." _

_As he said that, he reached down and picked Inuyasha up. Sesshoumaru watched as his father headed out the door with his brother in his arms._

"_But daddy. Isn't big brother coming?"_

"_No, if he wants to eat, he can go and hunt like a proper dog demon."_

_Pain shot through Sesshoumaru's chest as he listened to his father laughing and playing with Inuyasha._

Sesshoumaru awoke in the present and realized that he had actually fallen asleep. 'Seeing Inuyasha must be why these images are resurfacing.' He sighed; sleep was an activity he avoided because of the images he saw when asleep. Being a full demon, it wasn't necessary for him to rest as much. Besides, he had been avoiding true sleep for so long that he was accustomed to light dozing to regain his energy. In truth he couldn't recall the last time he'd slept deeply. Deciding that he had had enough of sitting and staring at the sky he stood and headed in the direction he scented water in.

After making sure there was no danger of his bath being interrupted, he undid his armor and slid his clothing off. He stepped into the pond and sank beneath the surface. After scrubbing the dirt from his hair, no easy feat with only one arm, he relaxed in the water allowing the current to massage him. Looking down at his chest he traced the scar there with his eyes. It was the only scar on his body that never healed. Every time he saw it, he was reminded of his hatred for Izayoi and of his own guilt. 'I'm sorry mother.' He still remembered the day it had finally dawned on him that his mother truly wasn't the mistress of the Western Lands anymore, even though it had been seven or eight years after her death. It had also been the first time he had seen both Izayoi and Inuyasha.

_The entire palace had been scrubbed clean and every member of the staff was arrayed in their best clothing. Members of his father's counsel stood to the side ready to welcome their new mistress. Sesshoumaru could smell the lilies growing in the garden. The scent filled him with pain and anger. The gardens had once been filled with lilacs, his mother's favorites. But they had since been replaced with Lady Izayoi's lilies._

_He watched emotionlessly as his father exited the carriage and then handed a woman down. His nose was filled with the stench of human and he fought to keep his disgust off his face. The woman was followed by a child of about five or six who immediately jumped onto Lord Inutaisho. As his father greeted his "son" Sesshoumaru's attention was drawn to the woman who was coming toward him._

"_Hello. I am Izayoi. Who are you?"_

_He held down a growl of outrage and answered as calmly as he could._

"_My name is Sesshoumaru."_

"_Oh, are you one of Inutaisho's counselors? You seem much younger than the others."_

_All around them silence and stillness reigned as everyone, servant or noble stared at them._

"_No I'm not his counselor. I'm his son."_

"_Really?! He never mentioned that he had another son."_

"_There's hardly anything to mention," was all his father said as he arrived carrying a giggling half-demon._

_Sesshoumaru was glad for his mask because it was the only thing keeping the pain coursing through his body off of his face. His father hadn't even bothered to mention to his whore of a human that he had a son._

"_Oh I'm sure Sesshoumaru's wonderful," Izayoi exclaimed at the same time she grabbed him in an embrace._

_Sesshoumaru, caught off guard, reacted instinctively. The next instant the air was filled with the scent of human blood as his claws sliced into her arm. _

The rest of that day was blurry. The only other thing he remembered was the savage beating his father had administered that night.

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	4. A Spring Flower

**Chapter Three: A Spring Flower  
**

Aureate watched as Kikyo disappeared into the sky, lifted by her Shinidamachu. As soon as her friend was out of sight, she headed back to the riverbank. She had decided to travel by water instead of by air. After looking around to make sure that their campsite had been suitably cleaned up, she dove into the water. As soon as she hit the water, her legs melded together to form a tail in the same color as her pants had previously been. With a flick of her tail, she disappeared down the river.

As she swam, she allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of peace that enveloped her mind and body. The water was truly where she belonged. She had no idea why she had chosen to head this way instead of the other, but she had long ago learned to follow her instincts.

It was nearing sundown when she decided to surface and check her bearings. She swam to the river's surface and willed her tail to transform back to legs. Climbing out of the river, her nose was suddenly assaulted with the scent of fear, blood, and sweat, the scent of battle. Despite knowing it was none of her business, she decided to follow the scent.

As she stepped around the bend in the river, she found herself in the middle of a clearing. Though it was far from being a peaceful clearing; it was filled with bodies, body parts, and weapons. 'This wasn't a battle, this was a slaughter.' Upon closer inspection she could see that most of the bodies were wolf demon. It looked as if the pack of wolves had been ambushed by a large group of bandits. She became angrier and angrier as she explored. The bandits had spared no one. Not even the elderly or the pups among the pack were spared. Deciding that she's seen enough, she started back toward the river to catch a meal before she resumed her journey. Her attention was caught by a high pitched scream of terror.

She was going to ignore it and keep going but a voice spoke up in her head. 'The strong should protect the weak.' So, instead she headed in the direction the cries were coming from. 'I've spent too much time with Kikyo if I'm starting to here her voice in my head.' As she headed deeper into the trees, the cries became louder. Suddenly, a small figure came from behind a large tree and collided with her legs. She looked down in surprise and was met with the sight of a young female wolf pup clinging to her legs looking up at her tearfully. The pup yelped fearfully when two demons burst through the trees.

Aureate pushed the pup behind her and stood her ground as they skidded to a stop in front of her. From the way they were dressed, she could easily tell that they were the members of the same group as the bandits that had slaughtered the wolves in the clearing. Anger burned in her chest as she realized that the puppy behind her had probably lost her family because of them.

"Give the brat to us."

"I've got a better idea. How about I keep her and you two get out of my sight before I get angry."

The two bandits looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"Are you kidding us? Why don't you run along? We don't want to have to scar that pretty face of yours."

"I warned you…" Aureate plucked the lily from her hair and, with a little infusion of her energy, released it. It floated gently toward them and landed at their feet.

Their laughter was halted when the flower suddenly lifted from the ground and began spinning. It grew larger and larger until it was larger than the two bandits. Then it began to resemble a whirlpool and engulfed them in it. The water turned crimson as the air was filled with their screams of agony. Inside the whirlpool, the water was highly pressured and filled with razor sharp petals. So basically, the bandits had just been sliced to pieces. As soon as it started, it stopped. The water disappeared and the flower shrank back to its original size. Aureate held out her hand and caught it. There wasn't a drop of blood anywhere. It was as if they had never been. She placed the lily back in her hair and knelt down to check the puppy for injury.

"Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

"No, I want my mommy."

"Do you know where she is?"

"Uh huh…," She pointed back toward the clearing Aureate had come from, "she and daddy won't wake up."

Aureate knew that that meant they were dead, for all the wolves in the clearing were dead. She had personally checked each and every one of them. It was either check them or forever be plagued by the voice of Kikyo in her head.

"Well, your mommy and daddy aren't here anymore. Did any of your pack survive?"

"I saw some of them go away after all the fighting, but they didn't know I was over here."

'Guess I have to help her find her family. She's too young to survive on her own.' "My name's Aureate. What's yours?"

"Akina, will you take care of me? I'm scared."

"Don't worry little flower. I'm going to help you find your family."

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	5. Caring

**Chapter Four: Caring**

"Akina, where are you? Stop playing around; we've gotta get going if we wanna make it through this forest by sundown."

Aureate stood with her hands on her hips as she looked around for her wayward charge. 'Where is that pup?' She looked into the distance at the mountains and rivers. At her normal pace, she would have already been over those mountains; the problem was that Akina was afraid of flying. She paused in her contemplations and turned just in time to catch a wolf pup leaping at her chest. Akina giggled as Aureate tickled her mercilessly.

"Where have you been, huh? Where've you been?"

"Esplorin," Akina laughed.

"Well, we've gotta go now."

Aureate was following the wolves' trail. After Akina had pointed out which direction the remainder of her pack had headed, Aureate had used her tracking skills to pick up their trail and follow them. Luckily, they were preoccupied with fleeing and not with hiding their tracks since her tracking skills on land were minimal at best.

After picking up their things, she took off into the forest. As she ran, she looked down at the pup she carried. She studied her dark brown hair and crystal clear, blue eyes. 'She really is a beautiful puppy.' The pup was dressed in a simple, purple, cotton dress with a hole in the back for her tail. 'Your family must be so worried about you.'

_Six hours later…_

* * *

"Aurie?" 

"Hmm…?"

"My tummy's talking to me."

Aureate laughed and began to slow her pace.

"Well then, we'd better get your tummy some food then."

She found the tallest tree she could and scaled it. Making a nest out of a shell on her necklace, she set Akina in it. She made sure it was secure before she leapt back down.

"You know the drill, Akina; stay here, and be quiet until I come back. Understood?"

"I'll be good, promise."

Aureate nodded and headed into the forest toward the river she could sense to catch some lunch. That was the problem with preferring fresh food to preserves; she could never carry many provisions since she disliked the dry taste they all had. So, that meant that she had to stop and catch every meal. 'Guess that's the price I pay for fresh meals.'

As soon as she reached the river, she dove in. Being part merfolk as she was, she naturally desired to be in the water even though she could survive on land quite well on land. Diving deeper, she hid behind a large rock and concentrated on blending into her surroundings. It didn't take long for the fish to reappear and begin swimming around her as if she wasn't there at all; it was a natural talent from her mer blood. It took her less than ten minutes to choose two fish and pluck them from the water. When she was done, she swam to the surface and placed them on shore. Reluctantly, she brought her legs out of the water and headed back to Akina.

"Akina? Wake up, little flower; I've got lunch."

The blue eyes fluttered open, and Akina uncurled; she reached out her arms to be lifted, and Aureate obliged her. Sitting with Akina in her lap, she picked the now-shrunken shell up and placed it back on her necklace with her various other shells. It was the work of a minute for her to get them both back on solid ground. Climbing had always been a talent of hers; she always assumed her natural talent came from the serpent blood flowing in her veins.

She removed the scales from the smaller fish and handed it to the puppy sitting beside her before starting into her own. 'We'd better catch up to her pack soon; I haven't even begun searching for allies yet, let alone convincing them to help fight Naraku. Hopefully, Kikyo's having more luck than me, or we're screwed.'

Akina set the remains of her fish down and curled up in Aureate's lap for her afternoon nap. Instead of waking her, Aureate picked her up gently and continued on her way. It was less than an hour later when she left the forest behind and headed toward a narrow valley. Akina awoke just as they left the treeline behind. They were just coming up beside a sharp rise on their left when Aureate's instincts told her that something was wrong; she scanned the area but found nothing wrong. Just as she was going to dismiss her thoughts, out of the corner of her eye she spotted something speeding toward them. Reacting quickly, she pushed Akina between two boulders and spun to face their attackers, but hiding Akina had slowed her down too much, and she felt a searing pain in her back. She struggled to stay conscious, but the darkness closed in on her. 'I have to stay awake, must protect…Akina.'

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	6. Recovering

**Chapter Five: Recovering**

Aureate was floating along in a river, allowing the current to carry her where it may and thoroughly enjoying herself. The sun was warm on her skin, and the water felt like heaven to her exhausted and aching body. The sound of flowing water surrounded and enveloped her, making her want to never leave.

"Aureate," whispered around and through her.

Sitting up, she looked around for the source of the voice but was unable to see anyone. In fact, there didn't seem to be another living thing anywhere. That seemed strange, but she just couldn't rouse herself enough to think too hard about it. Lying back down, Aureate closed her eyes and relaxed.

Once again, a voice whispered, "Aureate."

This time, the voice continued instead of fading, and it seemed vaguely familiar to her. As she processed this, the water around her became increasingly rough and choppy; it took almost no effort for her to remain afloat though.

"Who are you, and how do you know my name?"

"Aureate," spoke the disembodied voice.

"What do you want?"

"Aureate, do not forget our task; many lived depend upon it."

'What task? The only task I have right not is to relax. I Kikyo were here…Kikyo!' Aureate suddenly knew who was calling her, and that fact cleared her blurry mind. Now she could see how irresponsibly and recklessly she'd been acting.

"Kikyo, I remember now; I won't forget again. I promise!"

As she finished this declaration, the world around her began fading away.

* * *

Opening her eyes, Aureate found herself staring up at a stone ceiling, and looking around, she realized that she was lying in a pile of furs in a stone cave. To her right, was a hearth, and to her right, was a cave wall. If she tilted her head back, she could just make out what was probably the entrance to the cave. 'How did I get here? The last thing I remember is going into a valley, and then I was hit by something, but what about…' 

"Akina," she cried as she leapt to her feet.

Pain burned throughout her back, and dizziness caused her to fall, but before she hit the ground, arms wrapped gently around her shoulders and lowered her back to the mound of furs. Aureate was gasping as she struggled to breathe normally through the pain.

"There, there, you're alright; just relax and breathe."

"Who...are...you?"

"My name is Izumi, and don't worry about telling me your name; I know it's Aureate. Akina told us all about you."

Aureate looked up at her, still gasping a little, and realized the demoness rubbing her back was an elderly wolf demon.

"You're her pack then?"

"Yes, Akina's one of our pups, and as soon as you're better, the entire pack is waiting to thank the one who saved her life."

"What happened?"

"Well, a large spider demon bit you and injected you with quite a bit of poison, which is why you're so dizzy. You were out for about a day. I've already administered the anti-venom, and you should be able to get the rest of it out of your system very quickly. The wound, though painful, is already healing."

Aureate nodded, rubbing her head.

"Izumi, is Aurie awake yet?"

"That's Akina; she's been asking about you every hour. Do you feel up to seeing her?"

"I'm always up for seeing her."

"Oh, good."

Izumi disappeared momentarily and returned, leading Akina by the hand. Upon seeing Aureate awake, she squealed excitedly and took a flying leap onto the mound of furs. Izumi reached to catch her but just missed. Fortunately, Aureate had anticipated her reaction and moved so that the pup didn't land directly on her.

"Hello, Akina, I'm happy to see you unharmed."

"I'm fine, Aurie, but you got hurt."

"I've had worse; besides, ask Izumi here. I'll be just fine."

"That's right, little one."

Akina studied the both of them, trying to discern if she was being lied to; deciding they were telling the truth after all, she smiled and nodded.

"Ok, then will you come out, and play with me?"

"Akina, Aureate isn't in any danger, but she does need to rest. Why don't you just stay here, talk to her for awhile? Then we'll all leave her alone, alright?"

"Ok."

"Well, I'll leave the two of you alone while I go tell our leader that you've awakened. I will need you to drink this though, Aureate."

Aureate nodded, accepting the bowl of medicine.

"Are you sure you're ok? You look pale."

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